My Cards and Tags: Tags Using AALL & Create's Quirky Birds Stamps

If you like stencils, then this week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is for you!  We were asked to Stencil It!  I love how stencils can add instant texture to a project when used with embossing paste.  That's what I did on the tags below:

I started with Strathmore Mixed Media paper and cut some big chunky tags using Mama Elephants' Tags a Lot die set.  I altered the length of the tags by letting the die edge hang off of my cutting sandwich on the second one so that the bottom line didn't cut.  That way, I could cut the bottom to any length I wanted.  Then I whipped out my Wendy Vecchi Embossing Paste and troweled it (is that a word?) over some stencils with a palette knife.

When that dried, I colored on the tags with Mermaid Markers and sprayed the tags with water.  When they were still wet, I sprinkled on some Infusions color stain.

As that was drying, I cut some circular die shapes and painted them in tones of black and umber.  I added a bit more white paint to my tags here and then, then glued on my die-cut shapes.  I also cut long thin strips of black paper and glued those on as well.

I added more paint and some bits of patterned paper and ephemera to the tags and they were done!

On both tags, I included one of these wonderfully whimsical birds from AALL & Create's Quirky Bird stamp set.  If you haven't checked out AALL & Create, I love their style of stamps and stencils!

And here's the second tag:

I do need to say that if I was being banished to a deserted island and could only take one set of dies with me, they would be from Seth Apter!  I use his circular dies all the time (his Splat die is featured below). 

Here are the supplies I used that you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

Mama Elephant Tags A Lot Die Set	Seth Apter Splat die set	Altenew Tree Ring die set	Seth Apter Spellbinders Coffe Ring die	AALL and Create Quirky Birds stamp set
Vicki Boutin All the Good Things Stencils	Altenew Halftone Stencil	Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers	Jane Davenport Sun Bleached Mermaid Markers	Sizzix Big Shot
Paper Artsy Are You Cerise Infusions Colored Stain	Paper Artsy A BIT JADED Infusions Colored Stain	Paper Artsy RUSTY CAR Infusions Colored Stain CS17	Paper Artsy LEMONCELLO Infusions Colored Stain CS04	Infusions Royal Blood Colored Stain
Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE Media Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley UMBER Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley Black Heavy Body Acrylic Paint	Dylusions Paint - London Blue	Dylusions Paint Cherry Pie
Dylusions Paint Polished Jade	Prima Impasto Acrylic pain, Augbergine	Ranger Archival Jet Black Ink Pad	Fiskars Acrylic Blocks	Hero Arts Neon Pink Ink Pad
Hero Arts Neon Chartreuse Ink Pad	Wendy Vecchi White Embossing Paste	Dina Wakley Palette Knife	Ranger Non Stick Craft Sheet

I can't wait to see how you get your stencil on!  Upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge Blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!

My Other Creations: Prima Traveler's Journals Makeover

This week's Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge theme is ombre.  And we're also focusing on the fabulous products of Dina Wakley.  You don't have to ask me twice to reach for my Dina stash!  I decided to re-vamp the covers of some Prima notebooks and used ombre circles to build the base of my backgrounds.

I started by heat embossing some circles, all from Dina Wakley stamp sets.  Some of them came from the "Weird is Good" set, only I left the center portrait people out since I was utilizing just the circles.  I embossed some images with black on white paper and some with white on black paper.

I whipped out my Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers and went to town coloring in the circles with an ombre effect.

I laid out some of my circles on top of two Prima Traveler's Journals.  These are fantastic little notebooks that contain a variety of paper.  The notebooks I got were of the "mixed media" variety.

I cut some shapes out of my black and white embossed images to use as my own patterned paper to add to my backgrounds.

I made more circle frames out of some collaged paper I had in my stash and started assembling.

For the silhouette figures, I used Dina's Funky Silhouette stencil and traced the shapes onto Strathmore Mixed Media paper.  Then I added some patterned paper and painted them.  I also made their outlines darker with a black marker.

I cut out the figures, darkened the edges even more and added them to the front of the notebooks.  I cut off the figures' legs so they looked like they were looking through the circular windows.  What followed next was a series of smeared-on acrylic paint, starting with white to cover most of the black of the notebooks.  After the paint dried, I stamped polka dots on the first one (using Dina's Textures stamp set) and clipped it shut with a wire binder clip.

The second one ended up with two circular panels and I made a floating crown in the top one.  The sentiments on both are from the All the Gals stamp set.

These Prima notebooks are a lot of fun since their sewn-binding allows the covers to be bent back.  I sewed all the elements in place after I glued them just to make sure they'd stay put.  Here's a side-view where you can see some of the different types of paper included in the mixed media notebooks (vellum, Kraft paper, black paper and heavyweight white paper):

Here are the supplies I used, which you can find at Simon Says Stamp:

Dina Wakley Weird is Good Cling Stamps	Dina Wakley Text and Scribbles Cling Stamps	Dina Wakley Funky Faces Stamp Set	Dina Wakley Textures Cling Stamps	Dina Wakley Scribbled Text Elements Stamp Set
Dina Wakley All the Gals Stamp Set	Dina Wakley Funky Silhouettes stencil	Prima Mixed Media Notebook Travelers Journal, Passport size	Prima Mixed Media Notebook Travelers Journal, Personal size	Dina Wakley Small Journal Clips
Strathmore Mixed Media Paper	Jane Davenport Mermaid Markers	Jane Davenport Shimmering Sky Mermaid Markers	Jane Davenport Sun Bleached Mermaid Markers	Ranger HEAT IT CRAFT TOOL
Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE WHITE EPJ36678	Ranger Embossing Powder SUPER FINE BLACK	Ranger Tim Holtz Distress Embossing Ink	2 1/4" circle punch -	EK Success 1.25" Circle Punch
Dina Wakley Ranger WHITE Media Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley Black Heavy Body Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley LEMON Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley TURQUOISE Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley LAPIS Heavy Body Acrylic Paints
Dina Wakley TANGERINE Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley Fuchsia Acrylic Paint	Dina Wakley RUBY Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Dina Wakley SKY Heavy Body Acrylic Paints	Prima Impasto paint, Pumpkin
Dylusions Paint - London Blue	Dylusions Paint Polished Jade

I can't wait to see how you interpret our ombre theme!  Be sure to upload your creations to the Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge blog for your chance to win a $50 voucher to the Simon Says Stamp store!